FROM THE ARTICLE ( TABLE OF PREFERENCES INCLUDED ):
________________
The decrease could be attributable to a sense that the senator, while popular among conservative activists, has yet to be vetted or tested nationally. Those fears are particularly acute among GOP officials after the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate four years ago, a decision that ultimately politically backfired on the Republican presidential nominee.
Still, Rubio’s promise remains: He’s young, telegenic, from a key state and - most importantly of all - Latino. The likely GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, is none of those things, and has struggled to attract Hispanic support even as the group is poised to play a decisive role in the presidential election.
“[Rubio’s] a three-fer: young, Hispanic, and from what may be the most important state - a la 2000,” said one Democratic iInsider.
Another Democrat said, “Rubio disrupts Obama’s Hispanic strategy in Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, and other states.”
He’s great on paper, a GOP Insider says. It’s just a question if he’ll handle the spotlight.
“Hispanic, swing state, conservative,” the Republican said. “The only question - is he ready?”
As Rubio’s popularity wanes, support for Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, has surged. Barely a consideration six months ago, the former White House budget director was the second-most frequent choice for both sets of strategists - receiving 23 percent support among Republicans and 22 percent for Democrats.
Portman was a key backer of Romney’s during the Ohio GOP primary and is considered a safe, well-vetted pick from a crucial swing state.
“Not only is he eminently qualified to be president, but even more importantly no Republican as ever been elected President without carrying the state of Ohio,” said one GOP strategist.
Added another Democrat: “It is not about sizzle. Portman would make a great VP - highly qualified, highly competent, and from Ohio.”
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE REST...
FROM THE ARTICLE ( TABLE OF PREFERENCES INCLUDED ):
________________
The decrease could be attributable to a sense that the senator, while popular among conservative activists, has yet to be vetted or tested nationally. Those fears are particularly acute among GOP officials after the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate four years ago, a decision that ultimately politically backfired on the Republican presidential nominee.
Still, Rubio’s promise remains: He’s young, telegenic, from a key state and - most importantly of all - Latino. The likely GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, is none of those things, and has struggled to attract Hispanic support even as the group is poised to play a decisive role in the presidential election.
“[Rubio’s] a three-fer: young, Hispanic, and from what may be the most important state - a la 2000,” said one Democratic iInsider.
Another Democrat said, “Rubio disrupts Obama’s Hispanic strategy in Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, and other states.”
He’s great on paper, a GOP Insider says. It’s just a question if he’ll handle the spotlight.
“Hispanic, swing state, conservative,” the Republican said. “The only question - is he ready?”
As Rubio’s popularity wanes, support for Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, has surged. Barely a consideration six months ago, the former White House budget director was the second-most frequent choice for both sets of strategists - receiving 23 percent support among Republicans and 22 percent for Democrats.
Portman was a key backer of Romney’s during the Ohio GOP primary and is considered a safe, well-vetted pick from a crucial swing state.
“Not only is he eminently qualified to be president, but even more importantly no Republican as ever been elected President without carrying the state of Ohio,” said one GOP strategist.
Added another Democrat: “It is not about sizzle. Portman would make a great VP - highly qualified, highly competent, and from Ohio.”
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE REST...
Rob Portman is a smart guy, but would be easy to attack for his work in the Bush Administration.
Who is Rob Portman???
Totally out of Left Field PING.
Who in the world is “Rob Portman”. (never even heard of him)
And who wrote this silliness?
I think the VP pick will depend on how things look in late August. If Romney is in good shape and looks like he can really win, I suspect he’ll go with either Rubio, Christie or Ryan and it’ll be a real donnybrook between those 3.
But if we get to August and it’s starting to look like a Clinton/Dole scenario and Obama has a solid/steady lead I suspect the party and establishment won’t want to hurt their chances in 2016 by having one of the stars on the bench go down with the ship. A guy like Portman(or Jon Kyl) is perfect in that case. He has no ambitions of his own and no one else does for him and him being part of a losing ticket wouldn’t hurt anyone else going forward and it would leave all the rising stars unscathed and ready for 2016.
In retrospect that was a mistake Palin made by tying herself to McCain. I don’t blame her really and obviously she accepted before anyone had any idea about what was going to happen to the economy in Sept and Oct. If Lehman had collapsed on Aug 15 instead of Sep 15 there’s no way she’d have accepted in my view. It’s interesting to think where she’d be now if she hadn’t taken the VP nod. There are pros and cons for both sides.
But I think it all depends on how things look. It’ll either be a glamour pick like Rubio/Christie/Ryan if Romney really looks like he has a good chance or it’ll be a guy like Portman or Kyl if the party is looking for someone like Jack Kemp in 96 to be a good soldier, take one for the team and get a nice reward for years of loyal service and as a wya to sort cap their career.
I don’t know much about Portman, in spite of the info posted on this thread.
As far as Rubio...we need him in the Senate at this point where he can do some good. jmho
A perennial candidate should naturally pick a perennial candidate for VP.
Enthusiam waned for Rubio after he confirmed everyone’s suspicion that he was little more than a RINO when the news came out he was working on another Amnesty bill.
So many RINOS, so many RINO supporters, so many people with their heads in the sand.
Here are Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman’s positions on some very important issues:
Please go to this site: http://www.ontheissues.org/oh/rob_portman.htm
Please read Portman’s positions on Immigration — he is for WIDE OPEN borders.
Here more info on his immigration views: http://www.numbersusa.com/content/my/congress/623/reportcard/CAREER/
Portman voted in favor of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 — read about the Act here: http://www.heritage.org/research/education/bg1775.cfm
These statements are taken from the Health Care section of http://www.ontheissues.org/oh/rob_portman.htm: Voted YES on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003) He voted NO on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (Jul 2003)
Portman is a free trader like Bush.
This statement is taken from the Energy and Oil section of http://www.ontheissues.org/oh/rob_portman.htm: He voted YES on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol. (Jun 2000)
These statements are from the Foreign Policy section of http://www.ontheissues.org/oh/rob_portman.htm: Voted NO on keeping Cuba travel ban until political prisoners released. (Jul 2001) He voted YES on Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. (May 2000)
Please read the Free Trade section.
IMHO, Portman is a high priest of the economic theocracy that places the needs of multinational corporations over the needs of AMERICANS. If the Chinese could vote, he would win by a landslide.
Portman is a RINO...not a Conservative.
change who Romney is. Unreal, that we are about to go in the
general with such a weak person representing the party. If I
wanted to vote for a democrat, there's a party for such.
Portman is an establishment republican. He’s my former congressman, and he was once a fairly staunch conservative, but that ended when he was elevated to good-ole-boy status.
I will not support a Romeny/Anybody ticket, and I will work for their defeat.
Any pro-life conservative who supports Romney is a hypocrite.
I have a feeling that as time passes, Rubio will be losing more votes from the Right and gaining a whole lot from the Left....
Doesn’t matter who the VP pick is, if Romney is the nominee.
Rubio or Portman is the best we can do?
Very sad.
Romney/Portman. Dull and Duller!
Rob Portman? Are you kidding? I follow politics very closely, but cannot tell you one thing about Portman except that he’s a Republican Senator from Ohio. Period. I wouldn’t recognize him if he came to my door telling me to vote Republican.
The man has virtually zero name recognition, and unless he’s a Big Splash personality, he’s going to add nothing.
I’ve been noting the budding romance between Romney and Paul Ryan. That would be much more likely.